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The West Harlem Environmental Action group will hold
a public conference, co-sponsored by the National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the NIEHS
Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan
at Columbia University, the Harlem Health Promotion
Center, and the United States Environmental Protection
Agency, at Alfred Lerner Hall (115th Street & Broadway)
at Columbia University on February 4, 2002 from 9:00
am to 5:00 pm.
This national conference seeks to address community
dialogue on issues relating to biotechnology issues.
In particular, this conference will address the consequences
of decoding the human genome raise crucial and controversial
ethical and social issues for the poor and minorities.
This community-based conference seeks to address question
such as:
- Will the health benefits of genetic research only
reach those in upper-income groups?
- Will health benefits be overshadowed by skyrocketing
insurance rates, racial profiling/stereotyping, and
new threats to job security and personal privacy?
Can we prevent these abuses?
- Will the focus on genetic factors minimize important
environmental factors that disproportionately affect
health in communities of color?
- Are new laws necessary to regulate human cloning
and “designer babies?”
- Does public funding of human genetics research
take badly needed funds away from other, more immediate
health concerns of communities of color?
- Will financial benefits generated by the research
be limited to governments and major genetics companies,
which are already beneficiaries of public funding,
or will they be extended to other groups dealing with
community based issues?
A follow-up session meeting between speakers, community
advocates, policy makers, and scientists, will be held
on February 5, 2002. The purpose of the session meeting
is to produce a series of recommendations and guidelines
for communities of color and environmental justice advocates
to proactively confront the complex issues surrounding
human genetics.
For more information please contact David Wheeler at
212.575.4545.
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